Program Specification:

Emphasis:

Gender:

Rating:

Age/Grade Level:

Target Settings:

Target Groups:

High School

Rural
Inner City

Individuals

Ethnicity:

Other Participation Criteria:

All Ethnicities

Sexual Abuse

Description:

Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy is a cognitive-behavioral treatment program for individuals suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The program consists of a course of individual therapy designed to help clients process traumatic events and thus reduce trauma-induced psychological disturbances. Twenty years of research have shown that PE significantly reduces the symptoms of PTSD, depression, anger, and general anxiety.

Program Descriptors Include:
Life Skills Training

Starting Date: Unspecified Students Served Per Year: Unspecified Last Verified: 2009

Risk Factors:

Protective Factors:

Program addresses the following:

Individual factors

High-risk social behavior

Program promotes the following:

Relationships

Clear social norms

Perception of support from adults and peers

Independence

Healthy/conventional beliefs and standards

Program Resources:

Annual Cost:

Unspecified

Funding Sources Include:

Program Staff Includes:

Unspecified

Counselors
Social Workers

Materials Used:

Supporting / Partner Organizations:

Instructional Texts/Manuals

Unspecified

Evaluation Information:

The effectiveness of PE Therapy has been established through single-case reports, quasi-experimental designs, and, above all, many randomized control studies. One controlled study, for example, compared the effects of several programs on female victims of sexual and nonsexual assaults. Compared to the other treatments, PE Therapy clients continued to improve one year after treatment termination while those treated in other programs did not. Specifically, PE Therapy has been found to result in improvements in and/or elimination of PTSD symptoms and improved daily functioning, including substantial reduction in depression, anxiety, and anger.

How evaluation data was collected:
Data collected and analyzed at state or organizational level